Like proteins and lipids, carbohydrates are an important energy source for biological organisms. Glucose, represented by the chemical formula: C6H12O6, is a typical example of a carbohydrate. Glucose is an abundant biomolecule that is formed during photosynthesis by the 24-electron reduction of atmospheric CO2 with water (H2O) according to the following reaction:6CO2+6H2O+hν→C6H12O6+6O2  (1)Biological organisms can, therefore, store energy from sunlight in carbohydrates. Later, a biological organism meets its metabolic needs by the reverse reaction, i.e. oxidation of carbohydrates. For example, the complete oxidation of glucose can result in the release of 24 electrons and the concomitant production of carbon dioxide and water. Some biological systems harness the oxidation of glucose as an energy source for heat.
The methods for utilizing the electro-potential energy of carbohydrates in batteries or fuel cells have been limited to systems using biological mechanisms and organisms. Biological organisms harness carbohydrate oxidation through respiration mechanisms such as the action of enzymatic oxidases or the ATP cycle (see Alberts et al., Essential Cell Biology, Garland Publishing, Inc. 1997, p. 107). The use of biological organisms for the production of electrical current in batteries is, however, limited by the conditions where microorganisms and associated enzymes can function (i.e., appropriate temperature, pH, salinity, etc). There remains, therefore, a need to use a renewable source of energy in fuel-cells and batteries, without biological mechanisms and where the electro-potential energy of organic compounds containing one or more hydroxyl groups (i.e., a hydroxyl-containing organic fuel), including carbohydrates, is harnessed for the production of electrical current.